China, With The Pictures All In Blue

I think that Bargain for Frances is one of the most popular children's books (though I'm still not sure how I feel about the message of cheat others when they cheat you). Despite what being published over 40 years ago, it still appears on "Book of the Week" lists.

And, as parents, we all know that children want to mimic what they read about in books and see on TV- heck isn't that what action figures and character-licensed apparel is all about?

So, what I find sad, is that a book about a girl and her tea set, while being one of the top reads of childdom, does not register with any manufacturer of toys.

Because you just can't find that china tea set with the pictures all in blue.

Now, I know, I know.  To product a china tea set for a toy sounds like a disaster waiting to happen (after all, Frances had one and she broke all the pieces...just as I suspect many children did and continue to do with fragile things).  But no one even makes a plastic tea set that matches the book.

Talk about a missed opportunity!

In fact, if you want a child's tea set, with the pictures all in blue, you'll need to shop on Ebay and buy one from the 40's/50's.

Perhaps I'm being too hard on toy manufacturers.

Perhaps the problem isn't that they wanted to stop making tea sets with the pictures all in blue.  Perhaps it's that Americans (the largest consumer market in the world), have lost their class and don't have tea parties or elegance or refinement anymore.

Either way, if you want a tea set for your daughter, you'll be stuck with a Dora- or Disney-branded set of just the tea pot, cups, and saucers - NO SUGAR BOWLS.  Perhaps this is because no one needs a sugar bowl since most sugars for teas come in little packets.

Changes the story a bit to not have the sugar bowl.


Thelma was right:  guess they really don't make them any more.